Ile de la Tortue

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Ile de la Tortue
Satellite image of the Île de la Tortue
Satellite image of the Île de la Tortue
Waters Caribbean Sea
Archipelago Greater Antilles
Geographical location 20 ° 2 ′  N , 72 ° 47 ′  W Coordinates: 20 ° 2 ′  N , 72 ° 47 ′  W
Île de la Tortue (Haiti)
Ile de la Tortue
length 37.4 km
width 6.7 km
surface 179.94 km²
Highest elevation Morne moons
459  m
Residents 30,000 (2004)
167 inhabitants / km²
main place Les Palmistes
Map of the Île de la Tortue
Map of the Île de la Tortue

The Île de la Tortue (German " Turtle Island") is an island off the north coast of Hispaniola . It belongs to Haiti and is the country's second largest island after Gonâve . It is also known by its Spanish name Tortuga . The island has around 30,000 inhabitants.

In the 17th century it was used as a base for pirates and buccaneers in particular .

geography

The island is separated from the north coast of the northwestern peninsula of Hispaniola ( Presqu'île du Nord Ouest ) by the Canal de la Tortue, which is 6.8 km wide at its narrowest point . It extends over 37.4 km in an east-west direction, and is a maximum of 6.7 km wide. The northernmost point of the island, Pointe Tête de Chien , is also the northernmost point of Haiti.

administration

The Tortuga is an eponymous municipality ( commune ) in Arrondissement Port-de-Paix the department Nord-Ouest of Haiti. It is divided into two sections communales , Pointe des Oiseaux (east) and Mare Rouge (west). The municipal administration is based in Les Palmistes in the east of the island.

history

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Tortuga was originally settled by Spanish colonists . In 1625, French and English settlers who actually wanted to settle in Haiti arrived on the island. Four years later they were attacked by the Spaniards under the command of Don Fadrique de Toledo . The English and French were driven out and the Spanish began to fortify the island. After the Spanish army withdrew to Hispaniola to drive out French settlers, the French returned, captured the fort and strengthened it further.

Depiction of the Île de la Tortue from the 17th century

In 1640 the French built Fort de Rocher on a natural harbor. Since that year the island has been divided between the French and English. It was Bukaniern (pirates) allowed to use the island as their base. In 1633 the first slaves were imported from Africa to work on the plantations. However, this did not prevail, and slavery ended here as early as 1635. It was said that the slaves were out of control on the island. At the same time there were constant tensions and disputes between English and French settlers. This allowed the Spaniards to return in 1635 and take the island by surprise . However, they soon withdrew because the island was not particularly important to them. The French and English returned again, and the Spanish reoccupied them in 1638 to drive out the French and newly arrived Dutch. After initial success, this time, surprisingly, they were repulsed.

From 1640 the Buccaneers of Tortuga called themselves the Brothers of the Coast. They were mainly of French and English descent, but there were also some Dutch people among them. Tortuga experienced its heyday between 1640 and 1670 and was a popular port of call for pirates and a transhipment point for smuggled goods and booty from hijacked ships. The pirates of Tortuga have had a lasting impact on today's image of the appearance of a privateer. All kinds of colorful people were to be found on the island, consisting of daring guys with eye patches , wooden legs , headscarves, etc. Feasts and fights were the order of the day.

In order to bring at least a little order to the island, the French governor of the island decided to civilize the rough male society by importing around 1,650 prostitutes . This hope turned out to be not entirely unfounded. When the era of piracy slowly came to an end here around 1670, the islanders turned to new opportunities to earn a living, mainly the timber industry . At the same time, however, an English pirate began to recruit the pirates of Tortuga and set sail with them. The French also recruited the pirates as a powerful force and were able to enormously increase their influence in the Caribbean . From then on, the pirates were provided with letters of piracy and were only allowed to attack and plunder certain "enemy" ships. In practice, however, they continued their pirate craft. As a result, the pirates were never really under control, and Tortuga was their neutral hiding place for their prey. Finally, in the Treaty of Regensburg in 1684 , France and Spain agreed to end piracy and buccaneering. Many buccaneers now went into royal service. Those who refused were hunted and hanged by their former comrades. In 1688, piracy was largely overcome here.

In 1680 an English law was passed prohibiting sailing under foreign flags. This was supposed to end letters of piracy and mercenaries .

media

Personalities

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hispaniola ( Memento of November 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  2. Jump up ↑ The Buccaneers In The West Indies In The Xvii Century - Chapter Four

Web links

Commons : Île de la Tortue  - Collection of images, videos and audio files